Mr Malthouse who is currently the Deputy Mayor of London has been selected by his party to run for the North West Hampshire consistency seat, currently held by Sir George Young MP who is due to step down at the next election.

Mr Malthouse was interested to come to visit The Bluebells as it is located within his prospective consistency. He was very impressed with the charity and met with Founder, Jane Gates who was recently awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list along with House Manager, Lauren Harris and Head of Family Services, Lesley Macdonald.

Mr Malthouse was able to tour The Bluebells to learn more about how the charity supports families with seriously-ill and life-limited children both through its respite breaks at the house and through its comprehensive programme of outreach targeted at those living in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.

Mr Malthouse was keen to show his support for the charity and has committed to attend events run by the charity where possible. He was also interested to learn about the funding that the charity receives and Jane was able to explain that the charity is heavily reliant on the support of the local community and does not currently receive financial support from the local authority.

Jane Gates OBE said “We were delighted to welcome Kit Malthouse to visit the Bluebells. It was a pleasure to be able to show him our work in action. We are thrilled that he was impressed with our work and impact and we look forward to his continued support”.